Troll the bottom for trout

Use variety of soft plastics at Shell Beach

South Louisiana’s speckled trout fishing is the best in the nation. Nowhere in the country can the sheer numbers of speckled trout compare.

However, even with our speckled trout being top-notch, anglers still have to work to find fish. Speckled trout don’t just magically jump in the boat, and if you’re looking for insanely good action, this month isn’t the best.

That’s because February can be a tough month to fish, and Campo’s Marina owner Robbie Campo said anglers need to be prepared to deal with the cold, and fish accordingly.

“Fish the hand that you’re dealt with,” he said. “If your water temp is 48,49 — where you don’t have a warming trend, throw plastics on the bottom.”

As a marina owner, Campo sees loads of fishermen every day, and he said the deep water trolling method has become a lost art, which is effective in this chilly month.

“People don’t do that style of fishing anymore,” he said. “They want the water to be 53 and catch them on the flat.”

Campo recommended areas like Crooked Bayou, Bayou Biloxi and Redfish Bayou, and said there are a couple of features in all those places that make them so productive.

“Any one of those bayous is lined with oysters on it,” he said. “It’s got 10 to12 feet of water.”

The oyster-carpeted bottoms filter the water, and the deep water is slightly warmer — two things fish like during this frigid month.

Campo suggested anglers troll down the bayous, and drag ¼-ounce jigheads behind the boat. It’s the old-style of fishing he grew up doing with his grandpa, and it still works today.

The marina operator also made note that anglers need to have a variety of soft-plastic lure colors and styles on their boat.

“I’m not telling you to run out and buy every soft plastic they have, but you’re going to have to try a few,” he said.